Citizens video recording law enforcement has become commonplace but the legality of the practice can sometimes be unclear to police and others, according to Womble Carlyle litigator Scott MacLatchie. That’s why MacLatchie, whose practice includes representing law enforcement officers in litigation, made time recently to discuss the issue with NC Lawyers Weekly.
In the article, MacLatchie explains part of the confusion comes from the fact that the 4th Circuit has not yet ruled on whether recording police in public is covered by the First Amendment.
Scott MacLatchie’s practice has been primarily devoted to the defense of law enforcement officers and municipalities in police misconduct and related civil rights litigation in both state and federal courts. He is also a police legal instructor whose training class, “Dangerous Crossroads Ahead,” examines the liability minefield where the First and Fourth Amendments intersect, and addresses how to deal with people who may being trying to bait officers into overreaction.